


Congratulations, Counselor

by soul_writerr



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: ADA Sonny Carisi, Baking, Domestic, Domestic Bliss, Fluff, M/M, Married Life, Professor Rafael Barba
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-11-27 14:34:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20949974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soul_writerr/pseuds/soul_writerr
Summary: Right there, right on their TV screen, standing in front of the courthouse, was Sonny.It looked like a press conference, and Chief Hadid, Sonny’s boss, was talking about the work the DA’s office had done. Sonny was just one step behind Hadid, so naturally Rafael paid her little to no mind, keeping his eyes on Sonny the entire time.





	Congratulations, Counselor

**Author's Note:**

> Today is my one year anniversary on ao3! I honestly can’t believe this, but I’m so glad I got my writing spirits back in the barisi fandom.
> 
> All of you have been so incredibly nice to me, and I’m so grateful for the people I’ve met. There are insanely talented authors writing for this tag, and being there in the middle is always a pleasure to me.
> 
> Thank you if you’ve read other stories of mine, thank you if this is your first. I appreciate all of you, your kudos, your comments and your hits. Here’s to many more stories to come MWAH 💝

Rafael rolled his eyes and let out a loud huff, annoyed. As a professor, he did his best to avoid being biased towards his students, but it was hard when a handful of them were trying very hard to set his teeth on edge with their inane rambling in their essays. 

Honestly, how stupid did they think he was? He could most definitely tell when a student went on a whole tangent just so they could meet the required word count. Rafael was far from a tyrant, but it did make him want to grab a red pen and cross a big X right over the unnecessary story-telling. 

Instead, he underlined the insane couple sentences and drew a small question mark by the edge of the page. And reduced the student’s score, of course. He wasn’t a tyrant, but he wasn’t a cuddly teddy bear, either. 

Well, at least not to his students. His husband, on the other hand, would definitely beg to differ.

Rafael smiled at the thought of Sonny, setting the paper aside for a moment. It was his husband’s first week as an Assistant District Attorney, and Rafael could not be more proud. Sonny had been so uncertain when he was offered the job, he’d looked so stressed trying to make the decision, but Rafael knew he was ready.

He’d known ever since he found out Sonny had passed the bar, therefore he had rushed to get Sonny a job interview at Brooklyn’s DA office. He didn’t know what had happened in that interview then, but his gut told him it might have something to do with self-sabotage. 

Maybe it’d been too early, then, Sonny had been at SVU for barely two years after all, but now he  _ was _ the seasoned, experienced professional he had always hoped to be, and Rafael just knew he would have to take the leap when the opportunity presented itself this time. 

The pride in him threatened to swallow him whole sometimes, and Rafael’s smile had grown without him even noticing. He looked up so he could admire the wedding picture they kept up on their wall, but the TV caught his eyes instead.

Because  _ right there _ , right on their TV screen, standing in front of the courthouse, was Sonny. 

It looked like a press conference, and Chief Hadid, Sonny’s boss, was talking about the work the DA’s office had done. Sonny was just one step behind Hadid, so naturally Rafael paid her little to no mind, keeping his eyes on Sonny the entire time. 

He looked  _ gorgeous _ , even though there was clear tension, or maybe nerves, tight on his shoulders. Rafael had helped him pick his suit and tie that morning, and had thoroughly kissed him against their bedroom wall when Sonny came out looking like  _ that _ , so professional and put together, so confident in the work he had to do. 

When Chief Hadid said “ADA Carisi”, Rafael’s chest swelled up with pride at the same time as Sonny stood a little straighter. It was a beautiful thing to see, and so he hit rewind just so he could watch it again. Then again, and again, and  _ again,  _ never growing tired of Sonny’s pretty face, his wide stance, his broad shoulders and narrow waist. He looked serious, his gaze sharp, and Rafael wanted to ravish him. 

Rafael had no idea how long he sat there for, watching his husband do nothing but stand beside his boss in a beautifully tailored suit. He hit  _ record _ so he could show it to Sonny later. He wanted his husband to see how amazing he looked - and he wanted to tease him a little, too, obviously.

About twenty minutes later - which Rafael certainly spent rewatching that piece of news over and over -, he heard the front door lock click open, and quickly turned off the TV. He picked up the essay he had put aside, and went back to reading it. Or at least, pretending to. 

“Honey, I’m home,” Sonny called out in a sing-y voice, kicking the door closed behind himself. He smiled when he caught sight of Rafael on the couch. “There you are.”

“Here I am,” Rafael smiled back, tilting his head back and pursing his lips in a needy request of a kiss. 

Sonny leaned down and pecked him sweetly. “Working hard?”

“Always,” he said smugly, grabbing Sonny by the lapels and pulling him to the couch. Sonny fell with a huff half on top of him, then laughed. “I missed you.”

He kissed Sonny again, deeper this time, because he looked too good not to. Sonny melted into it easily, placing a hand on Rafael’s chest and caressing him up to his neck and back down. 

“You really did miss me, uh?,” Sonny teased lightly as he traced Rafael’s jawline with soft kisses, smiling against Rafael’s skin. “I missed you, too.”

Rafael sighed contently, his hand buried in Sonny’s hair. He let his husband nip and suck at his skin to his heart’s desire, closing his eyes to enjoy the sensation. They’d been together for almost five years, and yet Sonny still managed to pull the biggest reactions out of him.

“What would you like for dinner?,” Sonny asked, oh so casual, as he bit into the curve of Rafael’s shoulder and neck. 

“Are you not too tired?,” Rafael asked hoarsely, shuddering.

“Not tired enough to not want to cook for my husband,” Sonny said with a wicked smile as he pulled back to look at Rafael. He looked wrecked already, his hair a mess and his lips red and swollen.

“So sweet,” he half-teased, resting a hand on Sonny’s cheek. “There is something I’ve been craving all day.”

“Yeah? Is that  _ something  _ in my pants?,” he said coyly, his hands on Rafael’s hips tightening. 

Rafael couldn’t help but laugh. “You make a valid observation about  _ that  _ craving, but no, I actually meant your homemade pancakes.”

“Oh? Breakfast for dinner?,” Sonny perked up, full of glee. “That sounds like exactly what I need tonight.”

Much to Rafael’s regret, Sonny jumped up and all but ran into the kitchen, unbuttoning his vest and pulling off his tie as he went. It was a beautiful sight regardless.

“Let’s see what we’ve got for toppings,” Sonny said eagerly, opening cabinets. “Bananas, honey, nutella, mini marshmallows, strawberry jam and blueberries. What would you like?”

Rafael considered it for a moment, tilting his head. Sonny was looking at him with bright eyes, and suddenly he found himself smiling fondly. “How about all of the above?”

“I like the way you think,” he said, pleased, pointing finger guns at Rafael with a wink. “Come on, you can help me.”

“Are you sure?,” Rafael asked with a small frown, but stood up and followed Sonny anyway. He hardly ever helped in the kitchen, but he liked to watch Sonny working his magic. 

“Yeah, I’ll give you the easy part,” he pulled out a bowl, a milk carton and two eggs and placed everything on the counter. “Beat two eggs then mix in a glass of milk and beat some more.”

Rafael nodded, suddenly feeling like he was given a very important mission. Sonny was always very calm about cooking, but God forbid Rafael be the one to ruin their precious dinner. 

So with his tongue between his teeth, Rafael cracked both eggs open into the bowl, then picked up a fork and started beating it all together. “When should I stop?,” he asked, watching as it turned a light yellow.

“Whenever you think you’ve got the most air bubbles you can,” Sonny explained with a shrug. “We want our pancakes airy and fluffy.”

Sonny then busied himself with the dry ingredients, which, as far as Rafael’s experience went, was where the real challenge was. He envied the precision with which Sonny was able to measure the flour, how he didn’t get lost on how much salt he had to add, or that he could just eyeball how much sugar he should let fall into the mix.

And, not to mention, there was Rafael’s worst enemy, the baking powder, which Sonny added without really looking. 

As Sonny whisked the very white powders together, Rafael poured the milk with the eggs and continued beating. “So, do you want to talk about your first week as a Manhattan ADA?”

Sonny paused for half a second, a small cloud of flour puffing up in the air at the sudden stop. Rafael almost laughed. “It was… different,” he said, resuming his whisk job. “A little weird, not being in the squad room, going over only in random points of the investigation. I felt left out, in a way.”

Rafael feared this was going to happen when Sonny told him he would still be working with the 16th precinct. He had hoped Sonny would go into another squad, it would have made the break easier and cleaner that way. He knew that Sonny would feel like an outcast if he were to stay with Manhattan’s SVU. 

“But everyone’s been supportive,” he continued with a smile. “The Lieu seems to trust me not to screw up too bad. They know me, I know them, it’s open and honest communication, we can make it work.”

“I’m absolutely certain that you will,” Rafael assured him, bumping their hips together. “You’re perfect for this job, you know that now, right?”

Sonny grimaced. “I don’t know, Chief Hadid wasn’t really happy with me when SVU arrested the suspect without notifying her.”

“SVU’s screw ups are not on you. Not anymore.”

He sighed, pulling out a pan and setting it on the stove in low heat. “I know, but she seems to think that they would have paid the courtesy of telling me about it, and consequently I would have told her. She said she hired me because I have a connection with the squad, and she expects me to use it.”

Rafael paused, air bubbles be damned. “Sonny, look at me,” he said firmly, and Sonny did. “You’ll soon see that your position as an ADA is much more political than being a Detective ever was, but even still, you  _ don’t  _ have to play those games. I know it’s not who you are, don’t feel like you have to be whatever it is Hadid expects you to be.”

“Yeah, I know. You’re right. I’m just trying to find my footing, but she’s already threatened to fire me, so I’m not sure how that’s gonna go.”

“She was bluffing, she’s not going to fire you. She’s already showed her hand, and she needs you, so don’t worry about that, okay? Besides, you can always talk to McCoy.”

Sonny scoffed. “As if I’m going to rat out my boss.”

Rafael went back to beating the eggs and milk, letting out his frustration. “It’s not ratting out if she’s being unreasonable. And sketchy.”

He shrugged, hovering his hand over the nonstick pan to test how hot it was. “It’s only my first week, and I already feel like I took a bigger bite than I can chew.”

“That’s normal, I promise it’ll get easier,” he said in a soft voice. “Just keep an eye out for Hadid. You don’t know her, but you know Liv, and you know the squad. Do your job right, but remember who your friends are, okay?”

“Thanks, Raf. Yeah, I will,” he smiled, the dimple Rafael loved so much deepening. He leaned over to check Rafael’s progress. “How are we doing over there?”

There was a fair bundle of bubbles in the middle of the mixture, and all around the border of the bowl. “I think it’s bubbly enough.”

“Good job, yeah, that’s perfect,” he beamed, then pushed the dry mix towards Rafael. “Pour it here for me, please?”

Careful not to spill, Rafael poured the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and frowned when he saw all the bubbles he had worked hard for burst in the process. Sonny, however, wasn’t fazed.

“See, the trick is to fold it instead of stirring it, that way we don’t lose air,” he explained, using a spoon to fold the mixture. Rafael nodded, satisfied, when his bubbles reappeared easily. “When it’s all well mixed, we can take a whisk and just go to town a little more.”

Sonny did just that, and it was fascinating how fast his wrist moved without spilling anything. The mix looked perfect now, not too dry, not too wet, and very bubbly. Rafael smiled, wrapping his arms around Sonny’s waist and hugging him tight. 

His husband leaned back into the contact, but didn’t stop whisking until he was happy. Without dislodging Rafael, he picked up a ladle, dipped it in the mixture, then poured it in the pan in a perfect circle. 

They both watched, swaying together to some imaginary song, as the surface of the pancake started to boil slowly. Sonny pulled away from Rafael to grab the pan before it started to burn.

“Are you ready? I’m gonna flip it,” he said with a goofy smile, then in a perfect flick of his wrist, the pancake went up and fell back in the middle of the pan on its other side. 

“Nice one,” Rafael laughed. The pancake looked perfectly golden and fluffy.

“You wanna try next?,” Sonny asked with a grin.

“I predict a disaster, but why not?,” he took Sonny’s place by the stove, and waited for his signal. 

“Okay, so you just flick it forward, then up,” Sonny explained with a demonstration. 

Rafael’s eyes narrowed on instinct as he tried to replicate Sonny’s movement. When he flicked it, he definitely sent the pancake up too high and it flipped twice on its axis, but he managed to catch it with the pan.

“Nice!,” Sonny laughed, kissing his cheek as he took the pan from him. “Look at that, it’s perfect. Ready to plate.” 

Rafael took a plate from the cupboard and held it out, a challenge in his eyes. Sonny gave him a lopsided grin, and angled himself just right so he could flick the pan once more. With an expert flip, the pancake fell precisely in the middle of the plate Rafael was holding, and he threw his head back in laughter when Sonny cheered loudly.

“That was really good,” Sonny said as he picked up the ladle again and refilled the pan. “Do you wanna set the table while I get the rest done?”

“I was thinking we could eat on the couch,” Rafael said instead, setting the plate beside Sonny. “I’ll tidy up my mess and put the toppings on a tray for us.”

“No complaints from me,” he beamed.

The thing about pancakes was that it took a very long time to cook through, and by the time Rafael had everything set up for them - including the recording of a certain press conference -, Sonny was only halfway through the batter. 

So Rafael went up behind him again and hugged him close, pressing kisses to the back of his neck here and there while Sonny worked, whistling away and humming happily at every pancake that came out looking just right. 

The domesticity of it all made Rafael’s heart fill up with love. He never imagined he’d be this happy. 

“The last one,” Sonny announced a while later, when Rafael had his head rested on his shoulder, eyes closed. 

“Finally,” Rafael sighed, but didn’t move until Sonny turned off the burner and set the empty pan aside. “Come on, I want to show you something. I saw this really hot guy on the news earlier.”

Sonny frowned, picking up the plate with an obnoxious mountain of pancakes. “Really hot, uh? Should I be jealous?”

Sonny wasn’t actually the jealous type, but Rafael had never given him blatant reasons to be jealous. He held back a wicked grin and shrugged as he sat down on the couch and waited for Sonny to sit beside him.

“I don’t know. I think he’s way too out of my league for you to worry. But he is  _ gorgeous _ , though.” 

“Alright, alright,” he scowled, waving a hand. “Show me what I’m up against.” 

Rafael pressed play on the TV and watched for Sonny’s reaction. He saw the exact moment Sonny realized what it was, because his frown turned into a bright smile, and he ducked his head in that endearing way he did when he didn’t want to be the center of attention.

“Rafael,” he laughed, shaking his head in exasperated amusement. “No way.”

“I can’t get over how  _ good _ you look, Sonny, my God.  _ Look _ at you,” he groaned, turning from the real man to the image of him on the big screen. “So  _ absurdly  _ gorgeous.” 

“You helped me choose that suit, baby,” he chuckled, snuggling up to Rafael. “Besides,  _ me _ , out of your league? Our wedding rings state otherwise.” 

“Don’t play humble, you look  _ stunning _ ,” Rafael pressed a kiss to Sonny’s cheek. “I love the way you perk up when Hadid says your name.” 

Sonny chuckled, ducking his head again, this time nosing into Rafael’s neck. “I guess I was a little proud.”

“As you should be,” he smiled. “You did amazing, Sonny. I’m so,  _ so  _ proud of you.”

“You know I wouldn’t be here without you, right?,” Sonny whispered, pulling back a little to look up at Rafael with his big, bright blue eyes. 

“I’m not taking any credit for seeing your obvious potential from the beginning,” Rafael said softly, rubbing their noses together. “Congratulations, Counselor.” 

Sonny’s bright smile was beautiful, and for the rest of the night, Rafael gushed over Sonny being on TV until his blush had travelled all the way down to his chest and he stopped rejecting Rafael’s compliments. They shared bites of pancake, and made a mess of toppings, tasting honey and nutella on each other’s lips. 

“Thank you,” Sonny whispered when they had replayed the press conference for what was probably the hundredth time. 

Rafael smiled. “You’re very welcome,” he kissed him again. “ADA Carisi.” 

**Author's Note:**

> If you follow me on twitter (@pastelpinktv) you know I’m not the biggest fan of Sonny not being a Detective anymore, but one thing I know for sure: Rafael Barba would be SO fucking proud of him for being an ADA! So I had to add something to this reality, and here it is.
> 
> I hope you liked it! Please, tip your very sentimental writer with kudos and comments!! I appreciate it 🥰


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